Improved clothes-drier



UNITED STATES PATENT OrEICEQ VILLIAM W. S. ORBETON, OF HAVERHILL,ASSIONOR TO HIMSELF, GEO. W. CAMPBELL, OF BRADFORD, AND GEO. P. RUSSELL,OF HAVERHILL, MASS.

IMPRovED CLOTHES-DRIER.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,208, dated May 29,1866.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. S. ORBE- TON, of Haverhill, in the countyof Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an ImprovedOlOthesDrier; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully describedinthe following specification and represented in the accompanyingdrawings, of which- Figure l is a side elevation of my improvedclothes-drying apparatus, the endless line being representedas passingthrough a door or window. Fig. 2 is a rear-end elevation of the saidclothes-drying apparatus.

The nature of my invention consists in apeculiar construction andarrangement of certain parts of the said apparatus or drier, wherebynearly the whole length of the clothesline is rendered effective forsupporting washed garments while exposed to the sun or air for thepurpose ot' being dried.

It also consists in a peculiar adjusting device, so applied that theaxis of the wheel or its plane of revolution may be adjusted and fixedat any desirable angle.

The invention in question relates to that particular class ot' driers inwhich an endless line is caused to travel around two or more pulleys orwheels.

The object of my invention is to obtain the use of as much of theclothes-line as possible.

In the said drawings, H denotes a post or standard whose foot is to beplacedin the ground or otherwise properly secured in any desirableposition. The said post near its top part has a cylindrical or otherproper shaped hole made transversely through it, the same being toreceive one end, a, of the adjusterD, which has the form as shown yindotted lines in Fig. 2. The said adjuster is affixed to the post H, andclamped in any desired position, by means of a clamp-nut b, applied tothe said end a, which has a male screw cut upon it to receive the saidnut, b. From the upper end of the said adjuster a journal, d, extendsupward and receives thehub I of the wheel A, whose under surface issupported by and revolves on the upper surface of the collar O.

By unscrewing the clamp-nut and turning the adjuster D the plane ofrevolution ofthe wheel may be either elevated or depressed, ascircumstances may require. K is a screw-nut l which serves to confinethe wheel A to its journal.

A By giving the peculiar forni to the adjuster D as shown in Fig. 2, Iam enabled to readily adapt the wheel A to any desirable plane ofrevolution. In practice, such plane should be as nearly a horizontal oneas may be, and maintain the endless line in its due place upon theWheel. The said wheel has a series of spokes or radial arms, L,extending from its hub, each of which at its outer end is terminated bya curved or crescent-shaped bar, M, formed as shown in the drawings. Theobject of this peculiar construction of the wheel is twofold: irst, toprevent the line when filled with clothes from so sagging' as to runofi' the wheel; and second, to prevent soiling or inj uring the clotheswhile being revolved around the wheel and during the act of drying.Around the said wheel A an endless line, O, extends, and is carriedaround a sheave or pulley, S, attached to a post, P, such post beingdisposed at any suitable distance from the post H, and either within orwithout a building or shelter, as may be desirable.

ln the drawings I have exhibited the line v as extending through a spaceor window, which may be supposed to be arranged in the side of abuilding. In order to cause the said line to maintain a proper degree oftension around the said pulley and wheel, I connect the said pulley S toa short lever, It, the upper end oi' which is hinged to the said post P,as seen in Fig. 1. This lever is provided with a rope or chain, r,which, when the endless line has received the desired amount ot'tension, is to be firmly fastened to a pin or device extending from thepost P, as seen in said Fig. l.

From the above it will be seen that my improved drying apparatuspossesses several important advantages: First, it can be coinpactlyconstructed, and besides, nearly the whole length of the line isrendered available. My said apparatus may be disposed entirely in theopen air, or in a building, ora part may be in the open air and a partwithin a building or under a shed, as maybe desirable. Instead of usingasingle wheel and a pulley, two wheels may be employed. IVhere longextent of line is required-say two hundred feet-ha third wheel might beemployed. In this latter case another post would become necessary, whichshould be l ranged so as to operate as and i'or the purpose placedmidway between the other two, and the set forth. wheel should be soarranged upon it as to sup- 2. The adjL1sterD,eo11strueted substantiallyport the lower portion of the endless line. in manner as set forth, andprovided with a I am aware that the combination of an endclamping-screwand nut, and a journal, d, re-

' less line with a shed and a straining,` device is speotively appliedto the post H and the wheel not new. Therefore I do not claim snob. A,the'whole being arranged in manner and I olailnso as to operatesubstantially as set forth. 1. The combination of the wheel A, the ad-W. W. S. ORBETON. juster D, the pulley S, the posts H and P, orWitnesses: their equivalents, and the endless line o, with CEAS. B.EMERSON, the lever 7L and its rope r, the whole being ar- GEO. F.TALBOT.

